Oral Histories

Matthew Miller: So you were allowed to go there, but you weren’t allowed to sit at the counter? David Mason, Jr.: Absolutely! Absolutely. MM: Okay. DM: Yeah, yeah. That’s exactly right. So that was the most logical place. MM: Yeah. DM: ‘Cause that’s where we all put our money, and, so that was…

David Mason, Jr.: And I remember when we went in, we sat down and Big John said, “Mason, you, you know y’all are not supposed to be sitting down here.” And I said, “Why? We just want a soda.” And he said, “well y’all can get your sodas, and y’all have to leave.” And Harold said “No, we aren’t going…

Matthew Miller: Were you arrested, were you taken away? Or did they just take your name? David Mason, Jr.: They just took our names, okay. But he said, if you— MM: If you do— DM: Well, we weren’t arrested at that time, I should say. MM: Okay. DM: What happened—I didn’t tell my father, and, the next…

Audio recordings of interviews conducted by Yonni Chapman with participants in the African American freedom struggle and the civil rights movement in and around Chapel Hill, N.C.

"“It felt good. It was almost like ‘wow, this really happened.’ And when the majority of the Black community became involved is probably when it was the most rewarding.” - Thomas Mason This interview is a part of an oral history project in which Yonni Chapman interviews a series of African Americans…

Cecilia Massey-Fike is an important member of her community in Chapel Hill, NC taking particular prominence among her family and her church, Saint Joseph’s Methodist Episcopal Church. During her life in Chapel Hill she has worked as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at Chapel Hill Rehab, worked in…

This interview is part of an oral history project called Southern Communities: Listening for a Change: Mighty Tigers--Oral HIstories of Chapel Hill's Lincoln High School. The interviewes were conducted from 2000-2001, by Bob Gilgor, with former teachers, staff, and students from Chapel Hill, N.C.'s…

Ashanti McClain: I help out in the afterschool [program], the food drive, the summer camp, the Back to School bash. And during the Back to School Bash I did the Coke truck, the ice cream section, whatever you call it, and the backpacks.

Ashanti McClain: The RENA Center had this big march, well it wasn’t really like a march, but we picked up trash alongside the roads. I didn’t help out with that because I was in second grade, so I didn’t really help out, but I feel like it was very significant.

Kalee McClain (KM): I just like cooking and baking, so my Mom thought that I should have my own business. Aisha Booze-hall (AB): How old were you when you started that business? KM: Like eleven. AB: You passed a safety course related to that? How old were you at that time? KM: Twelve. AB: You were…

Kalee McClain: So, every Thursday, I think, we just–well, leading up [to] we just get food and then we put it in bags and we have fresh produce too, and we just give it out to the community. The afterschool program is where kids come after school from off the bus, and then if they need help with…

Kalee McClain: I help every third Saturday distributing food. I help at the afterschool program, the summer camp, and the Back to School Bash.

Willistine McClain begins the interview by sharing her childhood background of living in Darlington, SC with 12 siblings. She also includes her battle with cancer and having to attend UNC Hospitals for treatment. Willistine describes her parents’ relationship; her father was in his 20s and her…

Willistine McClain (WM): [The] thing that sticks out most in my mind is her fruitcakes. Monica Palmeira (MP): Fruitcakes? She made really good fruitcakes? WM: She would always make fruitcakes at Christmas. And she would make fruitcakes for just about everybody in the neighborhood. MP: Oh really? She…

This interview is part of a project conducted by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate and undergraduate students in a 2001 oral history course. Topics include Chapel Hill's efforts to end racial segregation in the public schools; the process of creating integrated institutions; and…

This interview is part of a project conducted by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate and undergraduate students in a 2001 oral history course. Topics include Chapel Hill's efforts to end racial segregation in the public schools; the process of creating integrated institutions; and…

"I believe in seeking joy. I think joy is sacred. I think it probably has saved me thousands of times." - Molly McConnell Molly McConnell has been a part of various Christian faith communities in Chapel Hill. She grew up in North Carolina during the Civil Rights movement and her parents were…

This interview is part of an oral history project called Southern Communities: Listening for a Change: Mighty Tigers--Oral HIstories of Chapel Hill's Lincoln High School. The interviewes were conducted from 2000-2001, by Bob Gilgor, with former teachers, staff, and students from Chapel Hill, N.C.'s…

“I was a member of the Black Student Movement. It was like a year old when I got there so I was very active in that. I was the off-campus minister. We would go to the football games and not stand for the national anthem…as a form of protest.” - Mae McLendon In this interview, Mae McLendon sits down…

Ella Wise/Rachel Mossey (EW/RM): How have you seen Saint Joseph’s though – the role of Saint Joseph’s in this community? Virginia Medean (VM): They’ve always been a strong advocate for justice, social justice, and community means. They have a wonderful pastor now– EW/RM: Mhm. VM: –And [pause] I…

Virginia Medean: That place where I went to live for a few years in Halifax County was still as segregated as ever and was a very uncomfortable place to live. As a white person, it was very uncomfortable to be around other White people there because of their racism. They have learned not to say the…

Virginia Medean (VM): My husband, I said you know, he has serious healthcare needs, which will affect where he will be able to work. Ella Wise/Rachel Mossey (EW/RM): Mhm VM: And, so it’s sort of an enforced poverty, even though it was out of our control that it happened – and I have a lot of…